Stocks ended higher after flipping between­ small gains and losses amid uncertainty about the fiscal cliff. Trading volume was low. The GOP-controlled House pushed ahead with its plan to head off the New Year tax hikes and spending cuts but the president threatened a veto and Democratic leaders vowed to let it die in the Senate. And even reaching a compromise ‘doesn’t make everything better,’ said Tim Biggam, of TradingBlock. ‘It just stops things from getting worse.’ The market already assumes there’ll be a compromise, analysts say. Also at the forefront was news NYSE Euronext, parent of the New York Stock Exchange, will be sold.